Politics: Minimum Wage in Chicago

The mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel and his administration announced that the Chicago Housing Authority has agreed to his suggestion to require contractors and subcontractors to pay workers at least $13 an hour. Last month, Emanuel asked the city’s sister agencies (the Public Building Commission, Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Transit Authority, etc.) to adopt the same standard. This new minimum wage will affect approximately 1,000 contracted workers. These workers normally include landscapers, maintenance workers, security officers, concessionaries, and custodians. Numerous city contracted employees will also see their pay increase to $13 an hour under a city living wage ordinance.